Renault Admits Wrongdoing in Spy Case, Issues Apologies to the Three Ousted Officials

Today's episode on the Renault EV espionage case is one of the most interesting yet, with CEO Carlos Ghosn and COO Patrick Pelata issuing their official apologies to the three executives accused of spying.

Renault’s admission of wrongdoing comes after a communication with the French prosecutors, who found no substance in the complaint filed by the automaker against its former employees. Authorities from Liechtenstein and Switzerland confirmed that Michel Balthazard, Bertrand Rochette and Matthieu Tenenbaum had no bank accounts in the respective countries, thus refuting Renault's claim.

“Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Patrick Pélata, Chief Operating Officer, present their sincere apologies and regrets, personally and in the name of Renault, to Messrs Balthazard, Rochette and Tenenbaum, who were wrongly accused in this affair. They are committed that reparations be made to the three executives, and that their honor in the public eye be restored,” Renault said in a statement.

Ghosn and Pelata also expressed their intention to meet with the three employees “as soon as possible.”

The judiciary investigation will now concentrate on the fraud against Renault, with prosecutors issuing yesterday "organized fraud" charges against Dominique Gevrey, the security chief whose internal investigation led to the firing of the three execs.

CEO Carlos Ghosn called for an extraordinary board meeting today, at the end of which sanctions may be applied to the people involved in the case.

By Dan Mihalascu

Sources: Renault, Autonews

Fired Renault Executive Asks French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Intervene in Spy Case

Each day brings something new in Renault’s EV-related espionage affair. This time Bertrand Rochette, one of the three employees fired by the company, has appealed directly to French President Nicolas Sarkozy to intervene in the case. More specifically, Rochette's lawyers have called on Sarkozy and Justice Minister Michel Mercier to demand they be given access to the legal complaint Renault filed in January against unknown persons.

The lawyers based their request on the fact that their client doesn't know exactly what the complaint contains, although it involves him directly. Furthermore, the attorneys said Rochette's right to defend himself had been compromised since he can't appeal against Renault in court without knowing what he's accused of.

"We can envisage keeping an investigation secret to avoid any interference or hindrance, but public statements about the accusations should immediately be accompanied by transmitting full information to the person concerned about what he is accused of," legal advisers wrote in the document sent on Thursday.

Interesting times lie ahead in the investigation, with a key part of the case to be unwrapped in the coming days. Results of official probes into whether or not the three executives had bank accounts in Switzerland or Liechtenstein are expected soon and they could prove the innocence of the three ex-employees. If that happens, Renault's top management will have a lot of explaining to do.

By Dan Mihalascu

Source: Autonews

Renault Spy Saga Continues, French Company Paid €250,000 for the Tip

The Renault espionage case is as close as it gets to an automotive “Watergate”. The scandal, which resulted in Renault firing and filing a complaint against three of its top executives for allegedly stealing documents related to the company's EV program, continues to make waves in France.

As it turns out, Renault has started to back down on the accusations, acknowledging the fact that it may have been misled to point the finger on the three executives. In a newspaper interview quoted by the Automotive News, Renault's chief operating officer Patrick Pelata said the company is considering two scenarios.

"Either we are confronted with a case of espionage and a senior security executive is protecting his source despite everything, or Renault is the victim of a manipulation, which we don't know the nature of, but which could be a fraud," said Pelata. "In this case, if all the doubts are lifted, we will propose the reinstatement of the three executives and, in any case, Renault will be very careful to make good any injustice." Pelata stressed that either way, Renault is a victim.

The three employees Renault fired are Michel Balthazard, former vice president of advanced engineering at Renault, his deputy Bertrand Rochette and the former deputy director of the electric vehicles program, Matthieu Tenenbaum. All three claim they have done nothing wrong and are taking legal action against Renault.

The key of the puzzle right now is finding out the identity of the person that tipped off Renault about the three executives. In exchange for the tip, Renault reportedly paid €250,000 ($345,400) to this unnamed source via its two security managers, the only people who know the identity of the company's “Deep Throat”. However, according to French newspapers, they refuse to reveal the person's name to the police.

The case could have serious consequences for Renault - "up to the highest level of the company, that is to say up to myself," said COO Patrick Pelata. Renault risked triggering a diplomatic scandal in January when China was linked as a possible recipient of the leaked information. The company's relationship with the French government has worsened too, with state officials blaming Renault for undertaking its own investigation from August 2010 to January 2011 instead of immediately informing the authorities (the French state owns 15% of Renault). We'll keep you informed as the case develops.

By Dan Mihalascu

Sources: Reuters, Automotive News, Le Figaro

Renault to Launch All-Electric Twingo in 2014, Zoe Z.E. Coming in 2012

Renault will add a new Twingo to its Z.E. range of electric vehicles in the second half of 2014, according to Jacques Bousquet, head of Renault Italy. The French automaker’s official said the Twingo Z.E. will be the company's fifth EV, after the Kangoo, Fluence, Twizy and Zoe.

The executive revealed that Renault’s alliance with Daimler AG helped speed up the development of the next-generation Twingo-based Z.E. model, as the Twingo's new platform will be shared with a future four-seat Smart car.

Bousquet added that the Kangoo Z.E. will be joined by more electric vans in the future. "The Kangoo Z.E. is the first of a broader range of battery-powered light commercial vehicles we are currently developing," he said.

The official also revealed the timetable for the market launch of the Z.E. models as well as their prices in France. The first to go on sale will be the Fluence Z.E. sedan, which will arrive in showrooms in mid-2011 with a base price of €26,000 ($36,200) including sales tax. The monthly fee for the battery lease (on a 36-month plan) will be €79 ($110).

Next up will be the Kangoo Z.E.. The small commercial van will cost €20,000 ($27,850) excluding tax, while there’s also a €72 ($100) fee to be paid each month for the battery pack. In France, the car will cost €15,000 ($20,900) since it qualifies for incentives, equaling the price of the diesel Kangoo.

The two-seater Twizy EV will be launched in December for a price of €6,990 ($9730) including tax, plus €45 ($63) as a monthly payment for the battery. Finally, the core model for the Z.E. range, the Zoe supermini, will arrive in mid-2012. The price hasn't been announced yet, but Renault plans to sell 150,000 units a year of the Zoe Z.E.

As for the Kangoo and Fluence EVs, Renault aims to sell 30,000 to 50,000 units a year of each model.

By Dan Mihalascu

Source: Automotive News

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Andros Trophy 2011: This is How France's Winter Version of NASCAR Looks Like

Four-time Formula 1 champion Alain Prost and his Dacia Duster took first place at the Andros Trophy season finale held in Paris on the Stade de France this past weekend. Although the competition did not count for the championship, it attracted more than 50,000 spectators at France's largest stadium that was transformed into an ice-covered oval track. What they witnessed was a superb ice-skating contest for cars and bikes. Follow the break for the videos.

The former F1 ace drove the race-spec Dacia Duster Ice to victory after eliminating all of his opponents, including Olivier Panis (Skoda Fabia) and Jean Philippe Dayraut (BMW 1-Series), the latter being none other than the Andros Trophy champion and the man who will drive the Duster hill climb car at Pikes Peak in June.

“I would like to dedicate my win to Dacia and to the public who gave me such a warm welcome," said Alain Prost. "We really wanted to perform well today, and we did," he added.

All cars that participate in the Andros Trophy must look like their production counterparts on the outside while complying with certain regulations including four-wheel drive system, four-wheel steering, a three-liter six-cylinder engine with 340HP, a six-speed gearbox and special studded ice tires.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Design Study for a Modern Day Renault Alpine Sports Coupe

An affordable, rear-wheel drive sports coupe from Renault bearing the historic Alpine moniker has been in the cards for years but the French carmaker has yet to launch a modern day successor to the last model to carry the Alpine name, the A610 from the mid 1990s.

After production of the A610 ended, Renault used the Alpine factory in Dieppe to manufacture the street-legal RenaultSport Spider, a lightweight two-seater model with a rear mid-engine layout built from 1995 to 1997, which was the French firm’s last bespoke sports car.

Over the years, we have seen many independent designers creating concept studies for a new Alpine coupe, the most recent being the one you see pictured above, which is the work of David Cardoso.

Here is what David told Carscoop about his design: “I made a modern interpretation of the Renault Alpine A110. Like the original Alpine, this concept has a rear engine and a stretched silhouette. The rear is inspired by the Dezir Concept while the front has influences of the Nepta Concept. Could be a direct competitor (or ally since Nissan is in the Renault group) for the Nissan 370Z.”

Check out the high-resolution pictures below and voice your thoughts about the design in the comments section below.

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RENAULT ALPINE HISTORIC PICTURES